You’re gonna love it. It’s “A Shoebox Full of Money” — my second collection of short stories that take place in, and around, New York City. (OK, one story takes place in Heathrow Airport. So, sue me.)
You’ll meet gamblers, weird little kids, handball champions, old ladies and their burned-out, adult children, Vietnam vets, IT experts, a Miss America winner, Jaco Pastorius, The Beatles, Tolentine parishioners, a flight attendant for Emirates, a Carlyle club singer, schoolyard b-ballers, even a Brooklyn-based, Beaufort-born, sorceress.
Twenty stories, some set back then — and some set right now. If you like The Real New Yorkers, you’ll be right at home with “A Shoebox Full of Money”.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to these folks, and then click on the link below:
“Martin Kleinman weaves powerful stories in distinctly diverse New York accents and ring true to this New Yorker. I enjoyed, and will treasure, every one of them.”
–Fernando Ferrer, former Borough President of The Bronx, and two-time New York City mayoral candidate
“Kleinman’s latest collection gently rocks between essay and fiction, and will show you how a New York Tuesday is different than any other Tuesday. With tales full of wit and nostalgia, Kleinman opens up the doors to his home, his museums, his bodegas, his street corners. If there ever was a time when one could use a “Shoebox Full of Money”, it is now.”
–Kate Hill Cantrill, Author of Walk Back From Monkey School
“Martin Kleinman’s short story collection is a treasure trove of riches. It’s all perfect – not a false note anywhere. By the time you’ve finished the book, you will have gone through a sea-change yourself, into a fuller consciousness. Not to be missed!”
–Ron Kolm, editor of Sensitive Skin and author of Swimming in the Shallow End
“Reading Martin Kleinman’s A Shoebox Full of Money is like slow-dancing to a love song by La Lupe. His poignant stories are remembrances of life, love, and loss.”
–Angel Franco, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist
“A Shoebox Full of Money is real city life itself, with all its sights, sounds, complexities, pain, and glory. You will recognize your friends, your relatives, your nabe, and most of all, yourself.”
–Gary Axelbank, host of BronxTalk and the Bronx Buzz on BronxNet, and publisher of thisistheBronX